By LEN IWANSKI
The Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. — Three women who worked at the Montana State Prison resigned Monday in the wake of an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct involving a male inmate.
Powell County Attorney Lewis Smith concluded last month there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.
On Monday, Warden Mike Mahoney said the three admitted they were involved in or had knowledge of the alleged misconduct.
However, two of the women vigorously denied any wrongdoing.
One of the former employees, who Mahoney said admitted having inappropriate sexual contact with inmate Michael Murphy, told The Associated Press she had made no such admission. Killian Thomas, who had been a prison mental health worker, called the allegations against her “absolutely false.”
Asked about the discrepancy between his statements and Thomas’ denial, Mahoney replied, “The report that I was given by our investigator says different.”
“She didn’t say it directly to me, but the report says ‘an admission of multiple occasions,’” Mahoney said in a telephone interview.
Mahoney said another prison worker, correctional officer Lisa Mantz, admitted kissing Murphy and sending him inappropriate correspondence; and that employee Tracy Boucher failed to report the inappropriate activities and impeded the investigation.
Efforts by The Associated Press to reach Mantz and Boucher on Monday night were unsuccessful. Thomas defended them, however, saying they were innocent victims of a vendetta by prison administrators.
‘‘The reason we resigned was because of the stress, because of the impact of this on our families,’’ Thomas told the AP.
A fourth employee, Shannon Davies, resigned in October. Mahoney said Davies admitted having a ‘‘romantic relationship,’’ although non-sexual, with Murphy, and that she failed to report that Murphy asked her to smuggle a cell phone into the prison for him.
‘‘It was proven to be not true’’ when the county attorney declined to file criminal charges, Davies said in a telephone call to an AP reporter.
Davies said she resigned last month because ‘‘I did not want to return to a hostile work environment with charges that were proven to be false.’’
A fifth employee, correctional officer Alex Sexton, is still under suspension and is being investigated for policy violations. Mahoney said the investigation may be wrapped up this week.
The employees who resigned had been on paid suspension while the state Corrections Department investigated Murphy’s claims.
Murphy, a former Kalispell resident serving a 25-year sentence, sent a letter to Montana newspapers reporting several of the suspensions and alleging the sexual misconduct on the part of the female prison employees.
Under state and federal laws, an inmate is unable to consent to sex.
Murphy, 35, has a record that includes convictions for forgery, felony theft and criminal endangerment.